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Tuna, Quinoa and Cucumber Salad

Cold quinoa with tuna, cucumber, tomato and a lemon dressing. A lunchbox salad that does not go soggy.

Tuna, Quinoa and Cucumber Salad. Cold quinoa with tuna, cucumber, tomato and a lemon dressing. A lunchbox salad that does not go soggy.
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Prep 15 minCook 15 minServes 2

Ingredients

Why metric?

Metric avoids regional spoon ambiguity. US uses 5 mL tsp, 15 mL tbsp and 240 mL cup. Small masses stay in grams unless a verified recipe conversion exists. More on measurements

  • 130 g quinoa (dry), rinsed well
  • 2 tins tuna in springwater, drained (280 g)
  • 200 g cucumber, diced
  • 250 g cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 small red onion, finely chopped (80 g)
  • 20 g flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • 30 ml lemon juice (30 g)
  • 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil (27 g)
  • Ground black pepper, to taste

Method

  1. Put the chopped onion in the lemon juice and leave it 10 minutes.
  2. Rinse the quinoa well and simmer it in plenty of water for 12 minutes. Drain thoroughly and spread it on a tray to cool and steam-dry, or the salad turns to paste.
  3. Fold the cooled quinoa with the cucumber, tomato, oil, and the onion with its lemon juice.
  4. Fold the tuna through in large flakes at the end, turning it twice rather than stirring it to shreds.
  5. Stir the parsley through and grind pepper over. No salt: the tuna brings plenty.

Safety and storage

Cook to
63°C / 145°F in the centre (fish)
Keeps
3 days refrigerated below 5°C
Reheat to
steaming hot, at least 75°C

Colour and clear juices are not a reliable test. Check the thickest part with a thermometer.

Cool it fast: split large amounts into shallow containers as soon as it stops steaming, and have it in the fridge within two hours. Reheat once only, until steaming hot right through, at least 75°C in the centre.

Where these temperatures come from

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